Gong Xi Fa Cai Meaning

The typical chinese new year s greeting translates more like congratulations on being prosperous or wishing you prosperity than happy new year gung hay fat choy cantonese while written the same way in chinese and with similar meaning is pronounced somewhat differently from the mandarin gong xi fa cai.

Gong xi fa cai meaning. Universiti malaya s chinese studies department senior lecturer prof dr yam kah kean said gong xi fa cai literally meant congratulations on getting more wealth which he said might not have a strong representation of the chinese new year spirit. Gong xi fa cai is mandarin while kung hei fatt choy is cantonese. The phrase literally means congratulations and prosperity to you.

Look it up now. Gong xi fa chai everyone. Fa cai 發財 is to become rich or to make money. The word nian is composed of the words he and qian.

It is only in chinese folklore. It means that the grain is rich and the harvest is good. Go ng xi are good wishes or congratulations fa ca i to become rich acquire wealth so together it means best and prosperous wishes for the coming year. They actually refer to the same four characters æ å œå è which is a common greeting during chinese new year.

Gong xi 恭禧 is congratulations or respectfully wishing one joy. Xi is a kind of faint monster and nian is not related to the animal beasts in terms of meaning it is more like a mature harvest. In hokkien it s pronounced kiong hee huat tsai. The more literal way of wishing someone a happy new year is.

There is no record of the beast in the ancient texts. Originated in post opium war guangzhou cantonese now a general chinese phrase.